Regina’s memoir Etched in Sand appeared on the New York Times Best Sellers lists for 16 weeks during 2013-14 rising to #2 on the New York Times and Wall Street Journal’s Non-Fiction E-Books Best Sellers list and #6 on the New York Times Non-Fiction Combined Print & E-Books list. Then in 2015, for the third year in a row, Etched in Sand returned to the New York Times Best Seller and Wall Street Journal’s list for the 17th week appearing again at #2 on the Non-Fiction E-Books list and #10 on the Non-Fiction Combined Print & Ebooks list (August 2015). It also was been selected for One College/One Book Read and integrated into college, high school and middle school curriculums. Regina’s new book, Girl Unbroken, about her youngest sister Rosie’s journey was released in October 2016.

For the past twenty-eight years Regina has spent her policy, managerial and legal career in both the private and public sector. She is now practicing law as a partner in the New York office of Wolf, Haldenstein, Adler, Freeman & Herz.

Regina recently served as Deputy General Counsel to the New York State Insurance Fund and Executive Director of two New York State commissions. The first commission was charged with investigating the states utility company’s preparation and response to recent significant weather events. Under her guidance, this commission put forth two reports that included recommendations for statutory and regulatory changes related to the utility industry of which over 90% were adopted. The second commission was charged with investigating public corruption and resulted in the adoption of state laws that strengthened enforcement mechanisms against public corruption.

Prior to her state appointments, Regina served as Chief Deputy to the Suffolk County Executive where she managed a county of over 1.6 million residents, a $2.7 billion annual budget and a 9500 employee workforce. During her tenure she managed the county’s fiscal crisis and oversaw the county’s day-to-day operations and its immediate response and recovery to Superstorm Sandy.

The majority of Regina’s private sector experience was as a partner at an internationally recognized securities litigation firm where she represented defrauded public and labor pension funds from those who committed corporate fraud on Wall Street.

Regina began her public service career working for the Eastern Paralyzed Veterans Association advocating for the rights of individuals with disabilities, specifically veterans. Thereafter, she joined NJ Transit where she worked towards ensuring that its commuter and light rail, bus and paratransit systems complied with the newly enacted Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. She was then appointed Director of Intergovernmental Relations for the New York City Comptroller where she successfully secured the passage of ten state laws including laws that allowed more flexibility for investing in the state and city’s pension and treasury funds. Regina later served as Deputy Counsel to the New York City Employees’ Retirements System.

She proudly serves as a board member to You Gotta Believe, an organization that works towards finding older foster children forever homes and on the Foundation Board of the State University of New York at New Paltz (SUNY New Paltz) as its second vice-chair.

Regina has been the recipient of several honors and awards including receiving a lifetime achievement award issued jointly by the Primi-Dieci Society and the Italy-American Chamber of Commerce and from The Children of Bellevue for serving as a role model for foster children, and receiving the Speak Out for a Child Award from CASA-NYC and the Maxine Postal Humanitarian Award, the East End Women’s Network Woman of the Year Award and the Geraldine Ferraro Award of Courage.

She is a graduate of SUNY New Paltz and Seton Hall University School of Law and is admitted to practice law in the State of New York and the Eastern, Southern and Northern US District Courts and in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.